Peepo Choo 2

Praise

“Now that Smith is producing works for a Japanese audience under the editorial guidelines of Kodansha–doing what Paul Pope in the 1990s ultimately could not do–it’s going to be fascinating to see how his already amazing talents change and grow.”–Jason Thompson, ComiXology

“I get the sense that, if he couldn’t draw, Felipe Smith would like to make a living repeatedly punching people in the face, pausing only long enough to make sure they got the joke. Fortunately for us, he can draw—he draws like a damn demon, that one. His art is an assault, seemingly stripped of subtlety. It is full-bore satire, and he wields it like a machete… Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t ‘merely’ satire. Smith does care about one thing—his story and his characters. Especially his characters. He loves them even as he lampoons them. 9.5/10” —Comics Village

“Smith creates characters so expressive you can feel their pain. See the amusement, disgust. He has a versatility that allows him to portray drop-dead serious (even grisly at times) moments, and then segue to light-hearted, deranged innocence. If he has a parallel I can’t quite figure it out.” —The Comic Panel

“There’s a glint in its eyes as it launches one charged, cartooned image after another… Smith’s work doesn’t need much comparison to Japanese or American comic book traditions because he has an understanding of how comics work that allows him to tell stories in his own way… No one comes out looking well, but geeks come in for an especially brutal brow-beating in this savage aversion therapy, with their fantasies warped into hairy, misproportioned sexualized images.” —Ain’t It Cool News

“There’s a terrible sameness to a lot of manga… Felipe Smith brings to it a unique vision, his raw, intentionally ugly art perfect for a culture clash comedy of extreme bad manners. It amply demonstrates how loving another country’s culture isn’t the same as actually understanding it.” —ICv2

“Peepo Choo is one of the smartest, cruelest, most original works I’ve read in ages. Thanks to Kodansha for recognizing genius when they saw it, and Vertical for knowing when to take a gamble.” —Erica Friedman, The Manga Critic

“A mere plot summary does nothing to convey the gleefully mean-spirited anarchy of Peepo Choo. Smith’s opus overflows with violence, sex, cruelty, and general bad taste, all drawn in a rubbery, cartoony style and presented with relentless manic delight… I have yet to meet a person who’s worked in the anime and manga industry who doesn’t love it.” —Shaenon Garrity, Author of Skin Horse and guest writer for About.com

“I was entertained by this comic; it’s got energy, the gross parts can get really funny, and its extravagant accumulation of mean doodles representing hapless international / interpersonal misunderstandings eventually forms a pleasingly nightmarish vision of all-out war among insular cliques absolutely certain they’ve got the world all figured out.” —Joe McCulloch, Comics Comics